Petr Novotný began working with glass as an apprentice at the age of 15. Today he runs one of the Czech Republic’s most celebrated glass studios from the traditional craft hot spot of Nový Bor. His career has spanned communism and capitalism.After 10 years as a master glassblower for Crystalex – Czechoslovakia’s most important export brand during the Iron Curtain years – Novotný collaborated with some of the country’s design icons such as René Roubícek and Stanislav Libenský, who were given unprecedented freedom to exhibit internationally by the…

51

March 2012

The process

Melting the glass
The glass is melted during the night in a specialised furnace that reaches temperatures of up to 1,315C.

Mould-making
To sustain the elevated temperatures of glassmaking the wooden moulds must have a high degree of moisture.

Blowing the glass
The glassworkers work with the glass in a constant process of heating and re-heating. This requires perfect timing.

Annealing the glass
Cooling the glass is the final step before quality control and delivery. It must be done with care to avoid imperfections.

The history of Czech glass

Manufacturing of glass in Bohemia took off in the 16th century when the nobility freed glassmakers from feudal obligations and allowed them to use the abundant minerals, sand and timber in the area. This Bohemian style of glassmaking incorporated influences from Bavaria, Saxony, Tyrol and Austria and can be seen in Prague’s stunning Baroque architecture and ornamentation. The transition to Communism after the Second World War led to extensive changes. As the area became more ethnically homogenous, the regime encouraged artists and glassblowers to use glass for sculpture and installation.

A glass act

The Glass Factory

Småland, Sweden

The Swedish district of Småland had more than 100 glassworks but today only the larger brands remain. The Glass Factory opened less than a year ago in the heartland of the region and gives independent designers the chance to work with glassblower Christopher Ramsey. The workshop is owned by the Stockholm Design Group and supported by the local municipality, Emmaboda.theglassfactory.se

The Royal Factory of Crystal

Segovia, Spain

Having lain dormant for decades, this traditional supplier of glass to the Spanish aristocracy re-opened 20 years ago. The artisans here have made both the contemporary light sculptures at the Reina Sofía museum and modern Spanish glassware in collaboration with designer Tomas Kral.fcnv.es

Ezra Glass Studio

Awara, Japan

In the Japanese countryside lies a small workshop in the forest run by Hiroshi Yamano, an accomplished artist and a well-known glass teacher in Osaka. The glassworks opens its doors to emerging artists wanting to engage with the local community and show their working methods.ezraglass.com

Who puts the lead in your pencil? Probably a German firm with a history of making fine writing instruments. And it’s a past these players want to highlight as they do battle with those pesky digital gadgets. Meet the stars…

In the next in our series decoding the DNA of success – of anything – we visit a 90-year-old tractor firm in northern Italy that through innovation and careful brand acquisition has quietly remained an engineering power…

The surprising success of the importing of a European artisan cheese culture to China, while a new trend for fine wine also takes off in Hong Kong, and discussions to submit plans to legalise casinos in Japan get underway…

A family-run company, Clarins’s business strategy has always been about making products that are never discontinued but simply improved upon. This has won it a loyal following and helped to set it apart from other cosmetics…

The lamps that light up our streets, shopping malls and car parks are often boring and unimaginative. But one firm has turned it into a mission to create something more original. Monocle heads to the hills.

Lumberjacks are finding themselves at the forefront of the climate change debate as ‘biomass’ (that’s burning wood chips to you and me) becomes a buzzword for the environmental movement. Monocle visited one of the largest…

Each spring the great and the good of the property industry decamp to Cannes to rub shoulders with the architects, urbanists and developers shaping the face of our cities. Monocle heads to the French Riviera to report from…